Doctor Who

The Doctor is in again at BBC America. DOCTOR WHO, which ran on the BBC from 1963 through 1989 and was revived in 2005 by Russell T. Davies, is in the ninth season of its current version on BBC America on Saturdays at 9 PM. This is the second season for Scottish actor Peter Capaldi as the Doctor, a helpful Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey who travels through space and time in his TARDIS and regenerates into a new body (played by a new actor) whenever he’s mortally wounded. This is the fifth season for Steven Moffat as DOCTOR […]Read On »

Actor David Bradley is dancing with the kind of gusto associated with Dickensian revels. His costar on THE STRAIN, Kevin Durand, is immortalizing the action with his cell phone. It’s perfectly appropriate – this is a party thrown by Fox and FX for the Television Critics Association press tour at West Hollywood’s Soho House and there’s music blaring – but whether one is most familiar with Bradley from his STRAIN role as determined and lethal vampire hunter Abraham Setrakian, the vile Walder Frey from GAME OF THRONES, actor William Hartnell aka the First Doctor Who from AN ADVENTURE IN SPACE […]Read On »

There seems to be something about Eleanor Tomlinson that makes people think of the past. The English actress has played some contemporary characters, but she’s often cast in period pieces, including her film debut THE ILLUSIONIST, followed by the features ALICE IN WONDERLAND (Victorian England) and JACK THE GIANT SLAYER (unspecified medieval England) and the miniseries DEATH COMES TO PEMBERLEY (Jane Austen’s England) and THE WHITE QUEEN (the War of the Roses). Now Tomlinson is starring in the remake of POLDARK, originally dramatized by the BBC 1975-1977 from Winston Graham’s novels; the new version is adapted by Debbie Horsfield. The […]Read On »

In 2012, England’s BBC4 and America’s PBS, via member station WNET New York Public Media, joined together to bring forth SHAKESPEARE UNCOVERED, a series of documentaries about Shakespeare’s plays, which aired on PBS in 2013. Each segment, hosted by someone famed for their connection to the Bard’s work, was full of insights into the source and inspiration of the plays and interviews with actors, directors and other experts who had insights into the material. This year, a second season of SHAKESPEARE UNCOVERED is airing on PBS. The first two segments, with Hugh Bonneville on A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM and Christopher […]Read On »

In Fox’s GRACEPOINT, which has its first-season finale tonight, Thursday December 11 at 9 PM, the small California coastal town has been all but ripped apart by the murder of young Danny Solano. As in BROADCHURCH, the U.K. series that is GRACEPOINT’s source material, an out of town reporter is one of those most responsible for stirring things up, to the point where one local commits suicide due to a campaign of harassment in the press. Here, the reckless journalist is called Renee Fleming. She’s played by Jessica Lucas, who was also one of the leads in last season’s CULT […]Read On »

In Fox’s GRACEPOINT, which has its finale Thursday, December 11 at 9 PM, young Danny Solano has been murdered in the small coastal town of the title. David Tennant and Anna Gunn play, respectively, police detective Emmett Carver and police detective Ellie Miller, who are trying to find the killer. The miniseries is based on the British drama BROADCHURCH, which also starred Tennant. Madalyn Horcher plays the dead boy’s adolescent older sister Chloe Solano; her distraught parents are portrayed by Michael Pena and Virginia Kull. Kendrick Sampson plays Chloe’s adult boyfriend Dean Iverson, whose dealing in drugs may or may […]Read On »

Stars: Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman Writer: Steven Moffat Director: Rachel Talalay Original Telecast: November 8, 2014 Network: BBC America Once again I find myself faced with writing a review of DOCTOR WHO and having to drop all kinds of spoilers to do an effective job. I usually shy away from spoilers, but I just have so many questions buzzing around in my head after “Death in Heaven” that I have to bring up things that we game changing, or even just confusing in this season’s finale. Again, let’s just start with Danny Pink (Sam Anderson) is dead. Still dead that […]Read On »

Stars: Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman Writer: Steven Moffat Director: Rachel Talay Original Telecast: November 1, 2014 Network: BBC America Ordinarily with my DOCTOR WHO reviews I try to avoid spoilers, but with everything that happens in “Dark Water” I really feel the need to actively discuss the major plot points that are big game changers for everyone’s favorite Timelord. Let’s just start with Danny Pink (Sam Anderson) is dead. That’s where the episode begins and I know it’s supposed to be a huge emotional moment, but Danny just hasn’t had enough going for him to make me care that he […]Read On »

Stars: Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman Writer: Jamie Mathieson Director: Paul Wilmshurst Original Telecast: October 11, 2014 Network: BBC America “Mummy on the Orient Express” is yet again an excellent episode of the 12th Doctor’s (Peter Capaldi) new tenure on DOCTOR WHO. Following the events of the meltdown at the end of “Kill the Moon” it appears that the time has come for The Doctor and Clara (Jenna Coleman) to go their separate ways. So one last trip to somewhere nice is in order. That somewhere nice, and oh yes exotic, happens to be the Orient Express. In space. So it’s […]Read On »

Stars: Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman Writer: Peter Harness Director: Paul Wilmshurst Original Telecast: October 4, 2014 Network: BBC America The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) and Clara (Jenna Coleman) find themselves with student Courtney Woods (Ellis George) on a trip to the moon in this week’s new DOCTOR WHO episode “Kill the Moon.” Once there they are of course drawn into a conundrum with spider-like creatures that effectively kill anything they see and an enormous mystery involving the moon itself, and why it suddenly has gravity and is wreaking havoc on Earth as a result. The Doctor is extremely gruff and detached […]Read On »